Blood Pressure and Arterial Stiffness in Association With Aircraft Noise Exposure:Long-Term Observation and Potential Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown
Wiktoria Wojciechowska, Andrzej Januszewicz, Tomasz Drożdż, Marta Rojek, Justyna Bączalska, Michał Terlecki, Karol Kurasz, Agnieszka Olszanecka, Mikołaj Smólski, Aleksander Prejbisz, Piotr Dobrowolski, Tomasz Grodzicki, Tomasz Hryniewiecki, Reinhold Kreutz, Marek Rajzer
Abstract
In a cross-sectional analysis of a case-control study in 2015, we revealed the association between increased arterial stiffness (pulse wave velocity) and aircraft noise exposure. In June 2020, we evaluated the long-term effects, and the impact of a sudden decline in noise exposure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, on blood pressure and pulse wave velocity, comparing 74 participants exposed to long-term day-evening-night aircraft noise level > 60 dB and 75 unexposed individuals. During the 5-year follow-up, the prevalence of hypertension increased in the exposed (42% versus 59%, P =0.048) but not in the unexposed group. The decline in noise exposure since April 2020 was accompanied with a significant decrease of noise annoyance, 24-hour systolic (121.2 versus 117.9 mm Hg; P =0.034) and diastolic (75.1 versus 72.0 mm Hg; P =0.003) blood pressure, and pulse wave velocity (10.2 versus 8.8 m/s; P =0.001) in the exposed group. Less profound decreases of these parameters were noticed in the unexposed group. Significant between group differences were observed for declines in office and night-time diastolic blood pressure and pulse wave velocity. Importantly, the difference in the reduction of pulse wave velocity between exposed and unexposed participants remained significant after adjustment for covariates (−1.49 versus −0.35 m/s; P =0.017). The observed difference in insomnia prevalence between exposed and unexposed individuals at baseline was no more significant at follow-up. Thus, long-term aircraft noise exposure may increase the prevalence of hypertension and accelerate arterial stiffening. However, even short-term noise reduction, as experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown, may reverse those unfavorable effects.